Re-visioning Australian social realism through a feminine lens

This research explores the unique ways in which female film practitioners in Australia are utilising social realist politics in examining the stories of women in marginalised spaces. The findings add to the much needed gravitas of the female voice in contemporary Australian film.

Visual performance of a multifocal contact lens versus monovision in established presbyopes

To compare subjective and objective visual performance of the Air Optix Aqua Multifocal lens to monovision in a group of subjects requiring a medium level of reading-addition power.

Contact lens fitting and training in a child and youth population

PURPOSE: To determine the ease with which children and youths without previous soft contact lens (SCL) experience were able to handle, care for, adapt and be fitted with SCLs. METHODS: 179 children aged 8-16 were recruited. Study visits included: screening and training visits, 1-week and 3-month follow-ups. During the training visit, the time taken to demonstrate proficiency in lens insertion and removal and care was recorded. A second training visit was scheduled if necessary. RESULTS: Nine children did not complete the screening visit and eight discontinued during the study. Of those eight, seven discontinued during the first week and one before the 3-month visit. Of those recruited, 90.5% (162/179) were successfully fitted and completed the study. A majority of children were dispensed with lenses at the first training visit (94.6%, 162/171). The mean training time for all children was 30min. There were no statistically significant differences in the number of lenses required to fit or instruction time by age group (p>0.05) or gender (p>0.05). Nine participants (5.3%, 9/171) required a second training visit with four still unable to handle lenses (2.3%, 4/171). By the 1-week visit 13.2% (22/167) of participants either lost or tore lenses, no subsequent lost or torn lenses occurred. No serious adverse events occurred during the study. CONCLUSION: Children and youths with no previous contact lens experience were easily fitted, able to successfully wear and care for lenses. The results of this study should encourage practitioners to recommend SCLs as a vision correction option.

RFID translation into Australian hospitals: an exploration through Actor-Network Theoretical(ANT) Lens

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that has been deployed successfully for asset tracking within hospitals aimed at improving the quality of processes. In the Australian hospitals context however, adoption of this technology seem sporadic. This research reports on a long-term investigation to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-technical factors involved in the adoption of RFID in Australian hospitals. The research was conducted using interpretive multiple case methodology and results analyzed through the Actor-Network Theoretical (ANT) Lens. © 2013 Infonomics Society.

Trends in US contact lens prescribing 2002 to 2014

Purpose To document contact lens prescribing patterns in the United States between 2002 and 2014. Methods A survey of contact lens prescribing trends was conducted each year between 2002 and 2014, inclusive. Randomly selected contact lens practitioners were asked to provide information relating to 10 consecutive contact lens fits between January and March each year. Results Over the 13-year survey period, 1650 survey forms were received from US practitioners representing details of 7702 contact lens fits. The mean (±SD) age of lens wearers was 33.6 (±15.2) years, of whom 65.2% were female. Rigid lens new fits decreased from 13.0% in 2002 to 9.4% in 2014. Across this period, silicone hydrogels have replaced mid water contact lens hydrogels as the soft lens material of choice. Toric lenses represented about 25 to 30% of all soft lens fits. Multifocal soft lenses are generally preferred to monovision. Daily disposable lens fits have recently increased, and in 2014, they represented 27.1% of all soft lens fits. Most lenses are prescribed on 1 to 2 weekly or monthly lens replacement regimen. Extended wear remains a minority lens wearing modality. The vast majority of those wearing reusable lenses use multipurpose lens care solutions. Lenses are mostly worn 7 d/wk. Conclusions This survey has revealed prescribing trends and preferences in the United States over the past 13 years.

Applying a transformative consumer research lens to understanding and alleviating poverty

Increasing attention to global poverty and the development of market-based solutions for poverty alleviation continues to motivate a broad array of academicians and practitioners to better understand the lives of the poor. Yet, the robust perspectives residing within consumer research remain to a large degree under-utilized in these pursuits. This paper articulates how applying a transformative consumer research (TCR) lens to poverty and its alleviation can generate productive insights with potential to positively transform the well-being of poor consumers.

Conceptualising and measuring spatial indicators of employment through a liveability lens

Employment is a well-known social determinant of health and wellbeing and important for the liveability of a region. Yet, spatial data are rarely used to understand barriers and facilitators of accessing employment within a city. Therefore it remains challenging to plan cities that provide equitable opportunities for urban job seekers. This paper sought to: (1) identify urban planning and neighbourhood spatial attributes that facilitate access to employment; (2) conceptualise how neighbourhood attributes that facilitate accessible urban employment may be related to health and wellbeing behaviours and outcomes; and (3) isolate potentially important neighbourhood-level spatial measures that policy-makers and planners could use to assess urban employment accessibility. A conceptual framework was developed through a social determinants of health lens, where more upstream (e.g., neighbourhood attributes) and more downstream (e.g., behaviours, intermediate outcomes) determinants of urban employment were identified in relation to long-term health and social outcomes of interest. Six potential neighbourhood spatial measures of employment were identified. These were classified into measures of: access to employment (n = 4), local employment (n = 1), and neighbourhood employment level (n = 1). The spatial measures proposed rely on routinely collected administrative datasets existing within Australia (i.e., census data); therefore can be replicated over time and data are available nationally. Together, this research identified a suite of potential (and readily available) spatial measures that can be used to assess selected neighbourhood attributes as they relate to urban employment access. Such spatial measures can be used to inform future planning decisions that integrate policies across multiple sectors, thereby improving employment accessibility in an urban context.

Pathways, race and gender responsive reform: through an abolitionist lens

In this article we take stock of a recent moment in penal history in Victoria, Australia, where agencies have implemented gender responsive policies to address the disproportionate growth in women’s prison numbers, and in particular the overrepresentation of women constructed as ‘culturally diverse’. We draw upon abolitionist and intersectional frames to provide a theoretical critique of this political event. Our analysis extends beyond the unitary frame of gender, which has until recently dominated critiques in this area, to highlight the ways in which racializing logics are reproduced through such policies and practices. We explore the implications of the adoption of the criminological notion of pathways through the language of liberal feminist reform, which signifies a reinvestment in the myth of individual rehabilitation. The consequences of these discursive practices include the reproduction of pathologizing and risk-focused practices that can only yield more racializing, interventionist and expansionist responses within correctional spaces.

The role of simulation in pedagogies of higher education for the health professions: through a practice-based lens

The preparation of future professionals for practice is a key focus of higher education institutions. Among a range of approaches is the use of simulation pedagogies. While simulation is often justified as a direct bridge between higher education and professional practice, this paper questions this easy assumption. It develops a conceptually driven argument to cast new light on simulation and its unarticulated potential in professional formation. The argument unfolds in, and is illustrated via, three accounts of a simulation event in an Australian undergraduate nursing program. This begins with a familiar approach, moves to one that problematizes this through a focus on disruption, culminating in a third that draws on socio-material theorisations. Here, simulation is conceived as emergent, challenging stable notions of fidelity, common in simulation literature. New possibilities of simulation in the production of agile practitioners and learners in practice are surfaced. This paper extends and enriches thinking by providing distinctive new ways of understanding simulation and the relationship it affords between education and professional practice, and by illuminating the untapped potential of simulation for producing agile practitioners.

Contact lens prescribing trends 2015 : The Efron, Morgan and Woods 16th annual survey of Australian contact lens prescribing habits

The 16th annual survey ofAustralian contact lens prescribingwas conducted from January toApril 2015. The same format as inprevious years was employed. Ane-mail was sent to all members ofOptometry Australia with a link to adownloadable questionnaire, and arequest that this be accessed, printedand completed to provide detailsof the first 10 patients fitted withcontact lenses after receipt of thequestionnaire.The survey was specifically designedto be straightforward to completewhile capturing key informationabout their patients. Practitionerswere asked general questions aboutthemselves. For each contact lensfitting, they were requested tocomplete the following details: dateof fitting, new fitting or refitting, ageand sex of patient, lens material, lensdesign, frequency of replacement,times per week of wear, modality(daily or extended wear) and caresystem. Practitioners were asked toreturn the questionnaire by fax, postor e-mail.Completed questionnaires relatingto 353 contact lens fittings werereturned, which provides a soundbasis for a meaningful analysis. Eachfitting was given a weighting based onthe number of lenses fitted per yearby the practitioner, based on the dateinformation on the form. This meansthat data generated by practitionerswho have a higher frequency of fittingcontact lenses were afforded a higherweighting than those taking longer tofit the 10 patients with lenses.This discussion concentratesprimarily on data relating to newlens fittings as opposed to refittings.We believe that new fittings are amore sensitive barometer of currentpatterns and future trends, whereasrefittings are more indicative ofprevious fitting behaviours.In keeping with other markets aroundthe world,1 the majority of lenses (62per cent) were fitted to females. Theaverage age of contact lens wearersat the time of fitting was 32.2 ± 16.5years. The age at fitting ranged fromeight to 75 years.

International contact lens prescribing in 2015 : our 15th annual report in CLS provides information about 23,000 fits in 34 markets

We have been collecting data on worldwide contact lens prescribing habits for almost 20 years. Over this time period, we have amassed prospective information about 315,000 contact lens fits in 59 countries. This article marks our 15th report in Contact Lens Spectrum and features a breakdown of more than 23,000 contact lens fits in 34 markets.As in previous years, our international network of coordinators distributed survey forms to eyecare practitioners in their market who then recorded generic information about the first 10 patients fit with contact lenses after receipt. Information is gathered about patient age and gender; whether the contact lenses are prescribed as a new fit or a refit; contact lens material, design, and replacement frequency; number of intended days per week of use; wearing modality; and care system. Contact lens fits are weighted to reflect the number of fits undertaken by each eyecare practitioner. The study data were entered and processed at the University of Manchester and at the University of Waterloo.